WB helps Vietnam in trade facilitation, logistics development

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue had a working session with the World Bank (WB)’s Country Director in Vietnam Ousmane Dione (Source: baochinhphu.vn)

Hanoi​ (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister
Vuong Dinh Hue had a working session with the World Bank (WB)’s Country
Director in Vietnam Ousmane Dione, in Hanoi on June 26 to discuss trade facilitation,
logistics development and on-stop-shop model.

Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministries
of Finance, Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Transport and Foreign
Affairs and the Government’s Office, and the WB experts group attended the
session.

WB experts said that Vietnam has approved a
national action plan on trade and logistics facilitation based on four pillars,
including the simplification of customs procedures and professional management,
the enhancement of trade infrastructure capacity and connection quality, the
development of a competitive logistics sector, and the increase of coordination
between Government agencies and businesses.

Although Vietnam has increased transport
connection, the country’s multi-modal transportation has yet to catch up with
national development, they said.

At the same time, the production of goods has outpaced
the national gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate and infrastructure has
failed to meet demands of goods transportation, they added.

Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and
Trade show that during 2016-2020, it needs about 24 billion USD for transport
infrastructure. However, the State can afford only one third of the
amount.

Given this, the WB asked the Vietnamese
Government to mobilise private capital and credit trade in order to raise the
efficiency of transport infrastructure.

The WB experts also suggested the Vietnamese
Government assign the National Committee on One-Stop-Shop Mechanism and Trade
Facilitation to be in charge of logistics and call for the involvement of the
private sector in the committee.

Ousmane Dione said that the WB experts group
will give advice and technical support to Vietnam while sharing international
experience in trade and logistics facilitation.

Deputy PM Hue said Vietnam is focusing on
developing roads and railways along the North-South route without due attention
to East-West and coastal routes.

He called on the WB to take this issue into
account, calculating its impacts at national, regional and international
levels.

The Vietnamese Government will call for the
participation of the private sector in infrastructure development and
professional inspection over exports and imports under the Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) model and, he said.

The official urged the WB to help the Vietnamese
Government with the framework, function, tasks and structure of the committee
to facilitate trade, logistics and one-stop-shop model.-VNA